From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
The Solicitors Scheme Advisory Committee, SSAC, established by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has uncovered over 300 Awaiting Trial Inmates languishing In Kurmawa Medium Custodial Center in Kano state without proper documentation of their cases.
The advisory committee was on visitation to custodial centres, Police formations, courts and remand home on Wednesday in Kano was formed to be investigating cases of human rights violations of people’s with criminal and civil cases.
Speaking after the visitations, the State Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, who led the visitation, hinted that the committee was set up by the IGP to get to the roots of human right violation with a view to addressing them.
He said the committee would write a report on its observations during the visitations on Tuesday and Wednesday to the IGP for proper action.
He expressed optimism that in the matter of few weeks, Nigerians would see drastic action towards addressing the issue of human right violation.
He assured that those languishing at the custodial centres without proper legal representation and documentation would get justice soon.
While presenting some set of inmates who are awaiting trial for years at Kurmawa Medium Custodial Center, an Officer in the Prison yard, revealed that most of them had no Case Diary or other records with the correctional centre.
He said, some were said to have no specific courts for trial, just as their cases have no records in the prison but they are there for many years, adding that others are having Capital Offences but their cases are before a lower courts that had no jurisdiction to try the cases.
